Telangana’s EAGLE Force Wins National Award for Anti‑Narcotics Work

Telangana’s EAGLE Force was honoured with a national‑level award for its anti‑narcotics work on Tuesday. The award was handed to director Sandeep Shandilya by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the third National Conference of Anti‑Narcotics Task Force Heads in New Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam. The recognition follows the state’s Narcotics Bureau and EAGLE Force scoring over 80 % in a Union Government assessment that rates anti‑narcotics task forces on seven parameters. The seven‑parameter framework was prescribed by the Union Government to benchmark task‑force performance across the country. The parameters measured intelligence operations, control of precursors and synthetic drugs, prosecution, demand and harm‑reduction, coordination and capacity building, research and analysis, and administration and logistics. Telangana’s overall rating placed it among the top performers nationwide. A state note said the government has set up dedicated support mechanisms for prosecution, including legal scrutiny, judicial analysis, witness protection and prosecution support. Director General of Police C.V. Anand has been regularly reviewing the Eagle Force’s work and has asked district superintendents and other officers to give priority to curbing drug trafficking and substance abuse. Anand congratulated Shandilya and the Eagle Force personnel for earning the national honour. The accolade is expected to boost morale and encourage further coordination among law‑enforcement agencies.